Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 13

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Thirteen
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt S—Christmas Greetings Card (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 4: Christmas Kittens
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.1K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 13

Harry returned to his office after introducing Draco around at the lab. After brief introductions, and a bit of fawning on a couple of the younger lab techs' parts – apparently Draco was a bit of a big shot in the potions world – they started talking about the lab, their resources, some of the cool equipment and new technology they had, and eventually the case. Harry didn't follow half of what any of them were saying – truthfully, he felt a bit like he had in Potions class back at school.

Draco, however, had been in his element. Harry watched him visibly relax and become animated, immersed in the conversation. It was a good look on him. Harry had to interrupt the conversation and explain that Draco had to return to his own lab today, but that he'd be back to work on the case once he cleared his schedule. The disappointment on the young kids' faces was comical.

Draco had assured them that he'd return and, after checking the time, said he could give them another half hour, if Harry was okay with that. Harry said that was fine, but he'd take his leave, since he was of no use to them anyway. As he left Draco, once again thoroughly engaged with the lab techs, he knew he'd made the right decision.

Harry, on the other hand, was not in his element. He'd underestimated how strong his reaction to being in the same room as Draco again would be. Sure, he'd seen the man in passing over the years, from across the train platform or on a city street, but up close? Fucking hell, he'd walked in looking sexier than any potions geek had a right to look. Then he'd accused Ron of hatching a plot to have him thrown in prison, somehow manipulating Harry into participating. Then he'd accused Harry of using Al as some sort of leverage to coerce him into working on the case. The man was utterly exasperating! He always could get under Harry's skin like no one else. It was all Harry could do to keep his cool.

But then he'd seen how uncomfortable Draco had been, being back at the Ministry. He'd reached out, not even thinking about what he was doing, and tried to reassure him. But in the process, he'd felt the heat of the other man's skin through that crisp white shirt, inhaled the faintest sandalwood scent from a lifetime ago, and had very nearly moaned. It felt – there was no other way to describe it – like coming home. It was all he could do to maintain a calm demeanour, forcing a neutral expression. Thank Merlin for all his training.

The last thing he wanted to do was scare Draco off. As was evident from their short visit to the lab, not to mention the high opinion of those at Mungo's, he was absolutely the man for the job. Was it good for Harry to have him this close? Apparently not. Had he given it more than a passing thought before he'd hastily written to Draco, he might have considered that he was going down a road that he probably shouldn't go down. But the decision was made, and he would have to live with it. He could do this. He was a trained Auror. He'd worked undercover more times than he could count. Surely he could feign disinterest in someone he hadn't had a meaningful discussion with for the past two decades. He could do this. He could. Definitely. Probably. Maybe.

Harry looked at the Christmas cards on his desk and reluctantly began filling them in. He recalled Draco's earlier comment and grinned. He hadn't been wrong: Harry hated paperwork. As department head, he was expected to send one to all manner of people, both inside and outside of the Ministry. But who the hell he was going to send the Christmas kittens ones to, he had no idea. Maybe he'd send one to Umbridge in Azkaban. That might be fun.

Just as he'd established a rhythm and had reached page two of the four-page mailing list Gabi had prepared, Ron knocked on his door and entered with purpose. Lovely. "So, did the ferret agree to work on the case?"

Harry didn't find the ferret remark nearly as amusing this time. "He did."

Ron's ears went pink, as did his neck. Harry watched his friend muster what restraint he could before spitting out, "Keep him away from me."

Emotionally drained after the encounter with Draco, Harry found he didn't have the patience to walk on eggshells with a Head Auror who was stuck in his adolescence. "Close the door and sit down, Ron."

Ron huffed, but did as Harry asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "What?"

"I need you to listen to what I have to say, without interruption. If you have something to say, you can do so when I'm done. But you will listen. Really listen. Am I clear?"

Ron pursed his lips, ears and neck increasingly more red, and nodded.

"Good." Harry collected his thoughts and took a moment to tamp down his irritation. "As I've explained, Draco was recommended for the job. Not just recommended, mind, but highly recommended. After he agreed to work on the case, I took him to the lab to introduce him around." He could see the scene as if he were still standing there, and suppressed a smile. "His reputation clearly preceded him."

Ron snorted. "I bet it did."

"For fuck's sake, Ron, grow up. The man has a reputation as a stellar potions master. He's top in his field. The lab techs knew of him and were practically falling all over themselves to talk to him." Ron's disbelief poured off him. "It's true. And you don't get that sort of reaction without having earned it."

Ron coughed. "Lockhart."

"Oh, my god. They didn't fall all over themselves to get an autograph from some pretty boy with an award-winning smile. They wanted to talk shop with him. Show off the equipment in the lab. They are beside themselves excited to work with him."

"Well, I'm not."

Harry sighed. "I did say no interruptions, yeah? Here's the thing: he is working on this case. Mainly he'll be in the lab, but he will be consulting with Drummond as well. If there comes a time when you have to work with him–"

"I won't!"

"You will!" It wasn't often that Harry was compelled to raise his voice at work, but this was getting ridiculous. Ron clenched his jaw but said nothing more. "Your job is Head Auror. Your job includes managing the cases of your investigators. I have told you that any issues requiring authorisation will go through me, because I recognise there is bad blood between you." Ron's incredulous glare screamed understatement and Harry couldn't disagree. "But time is of the essence. We can't allow personal feelings to delay action. Children are dying, Ron. In all likelihood you won't have to work with him at all. I'll see to that. But you know my schedule. If at some point, in the interest of time, you are required to work with Draco, you will do so. And you will act like the professional I know you to be. Any personal issues you have with Draco get left at the door when you come to work. Am I making myself clear?"

Ron grumbled something, looking every bit a petulant child. When Harry stared at him, saying nothing, he nodded. "Perfectly."

"Excellent. Now, if you don't have anything else to say, I'd like to put this to rest."

"Oh, I've got loads to say, but I'll keep it to myself. Boss."

Harry would not be goaded into a prolonged battle with Ron on this. The decision was his to make, and he'd made it. Ron would just have to live with it. "That's probably wise."

Ron stood up. "Anything else, sir?"

Harry ignored the dig. "Draco will pick up the briefing material in the morning. If Drummond's in the office, I can call him over and introduce them."

"Fine."

"Excellent. That's all I've got. Anything else from your end?"

"Nope." He left, leaving no doubt that he was pissed.

Well that went well.

The balance of the day was filled with meetings, phone calls and paperwork. As Harry wrapped all that up and was about to get back to the Christmas cards, Drummond knocked on his door.

"Got a minute?"

"Sure, come on in." He closed the door and took a seat, looking uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

Drummond leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, and stared at the floor. Harry waited. Eventually, he looked up. "I'm not sure how to say this …"

Harry smiled. "I find that one word at a time works pretty well."

He chuckled. "Right. It's about this drug case. Well, not the case so much as …" His voice drifted off and he looked down at the floor again.

"Go on."

"Is there something I should know? I mean, Ron basically said you're taking over the case."

"Did he now?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

Harry smiled and leaned forward. "Absolutely not. You're our top investigator, which is why you are leading this case."

"So why are you–"

"I'm not taking over the case. I am merely consulting on any issues pertaining to the outside potions expertise we're bringing in."

"You mean Draco Malfoy."

"I do." At Drummond's perplexed look, he decided to be transparent about the issue. To a point. "There's a history between Ron and Draco. It's not a good one."

"What's that?"

Harry considered how much to say. He didn't want to taint Drummond's opinion of either Ron or Draco. Particularly Ron, since he'd be working with him long after this case was over. With that in mind, he chose to leave out Ron's inability to separate Lucius from Draco, to recognise that Draco had acted under duress during Voldemort's reign, or differentiate past Draco from present Draco. Likewise, as he had done at the Wizengamot after the war, he left out Draco's feeble attempts at murder, however coerced they'd been, which had resulted in near-death scares for both Katie and Ron.

"It's a long story. Suffice it to say that it goes back to our school days. The Malfoys – particularly Malfoy senior – had been critical of the Weasleys for years. And in school, our friend groups did not get along – very few Gryffindors got along with Slytherins, and the rivalry between us ran deeper than that. Then fast forward to the war, and we were on opposite sides, with Draco's father being firmly ensconced in Voldemort's inner circle." Harry wasn't telling him anything that wasn't a matter of public record. "Draco and his mother both assisted our side in the end – me in particular – but Ron hasn't let go of what went before.

"I'll be honest with you. Neither of them wants to work together, so I've offered to be the senior liaison, as needed. I want to be clear: I would not have sought out Draco's expertise, particularly in view of his and Ron's animosity, had Mungo's not said he's the best man for the job. I want to catch this guy, and will do what's necessary to get him and his poison off the street."

"Amen to that."

"You remain the lead investigator, and you still report to Ron on this case. I'll only step in if the situation necessitates." Drummond relaxed. "Does that clear things up for you?"

He smiled. "It does. Thanks."

Harry thought of his earlier conversation with Ron. "If, however, I'm not available, and a decision is required quickly, go to Ron. He'll do what's right. We all want this guy behind bars."

"Will do." He stood up to leave, then stopped. "Ron said Draco would be coming here in the morning?"

"Yes. If you're available, I can let you know when he arrives and I'll introduce you."

"Sounds good. I have some field work to do, but I can hold off until the afternoon."

"Great. I'll see you in the morning."

Once Drummond left, Harry decided to pack up for the night. He looked at the pile of Christmas cards yet to finish. They'd have to wait. It had been a roller coaster of a day and tomorrow promised to be another. He'd need a good night's rest if he was going to face it with a clear head.